


Courtly Love

by Crematosis, Nonexistenz



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avenger Loki (Marvel), Canon-Typical Violence, Courting Rituals, Digital Art, M/M, Team as Family, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:47:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21929953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crematosis/pseuds/Crematosis, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonexistenz/pseuds/Nonexistenz
Summary: Tony is a little confused and unsettled when Loki starts doing sweet, thoughtful things for him, but after a thorough explanation of Asgardian courtship rituals, he's actually genuinely looking forward to all the attention.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 58
Kudos: 659
Collections: Marvel, Marvel Reverse Big Bang 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second Marvel Reverse Big Bang fic for the year, inspired by Nonexistenz' lovely artwork that will be appearing in Chapter 4. I'll be posting a little at a time until my final posting date of the 30th so check back in when it's all finished ^^

“You’re pairing me with Loki on this op?” Tony whined, glaring at the smirking Asgardian across the table. “Why?”

Fury could talk all he wanted about how they needed Loki’s power on the Avengers team and that Thor could prove Loki was a better man now, but Tony was pretty sure Fury was hoping Loki would snap and kill him at some point. Just because Loki hadn’t killed a single person since the fall of Asgard didn’t mean he was completely reformed.

“Obviously because we are the two most attractive Avengers,” Loki said.

“No, because you assholes are the most goddamn reckless disasters I’ve ever known,” Fury growled.

Loki’s eyes narrowed. “I think I should be offended by that statement.”

“You two are the distraction team. Do whatever the hell you idiots want as long as you keep the enemy occupied. Agent Romanov, Agent Barton, Barnes, and Rogers will be on the stealth team, infiltrating the base from the rear.”

“Steve?!” Tony spluttered. “Steve is on the stealth team? Mr. Red, White, and Blue with the Bigass Shield?”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Don’t be jealous, Tony.”

“I’m not jealous. I’m just deeply, deeply offended that you think Steve of all people is more stealthy than I am.”

“Do you want to be on the stealth team, quietly sneaking into the base or do you want to be on the distraction team and blow things up?”

“Blowing things up team,” Tony said. “No question.”

“Then shut up and stop complaining.”

Fury had a lot more to say. All boring blah blah blah about the mission. Tony wasn’t really paying attention. Most of it didn’t concern him anyway. He didn’t need strategy to be a distraction. Instead, he spent the rest of the meeting watching Loki out of the corner of his eye. And Loki spent the whole time staring right back at him with shark-like intensity.

Yeah, Loki was planning on murdering him. He could feel it.

“You have your orders,” Fury said. “Let’s move, people.”

As Tony headed for the door, Steve pulled him aside. He put a hand on Tony’s shoulder, his expression way too earnest. “If Loki does anything suspicious, you let one of us know. We have a private comm line you can use to report in.”

“You really think something’s going to go wrong? I thought you were Mr. Optimist. You were all into the idea of Thor and Loki working together for the good of mankind and all that.”

“I still am,” Steve said. “I really do hope Loki’s got his act together, and he’s really going to be a good guy from here on out. But this is only his second time in the field. He hasn’t proven himself yet. So I don’t like the idea of the two of you going off all by yourselves. You’re my friend, Tony. I just don’t want to see anything happen to you.”

Tony swallowed convulsively. There had been a time when he thought he’d never hear those words again. But it was a good thing Bruce had returned with the Asgardians and insisted on reconciliation. It had taken a lot of yelling, screaming, and many, many hours of therapy to work through all the emotions, but they had done it. After all, nobody wanted to stay angry under threat of the Hulk.

And if he had been willing to give Bucky and Steve the benefit of a second chance, maybe he ought to extend the same to Loki. Of course, neither of them had tried to take over the whole planet with an army of space lizards, but nobody was perfect.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Tony said. “He won’t do anything to me when he knows everyone’s just waiting for him to go megalomaniac again.”

“I hope you’re right. Just be careful, Tony.”

If Tony had been a careful man, he would have insisted on more backup. Instead, he stood on the landing strip, watched the rest of the team take off in the quinjet, and scooped Loki up to fly off in the opposite direction.

He set them down within sight of the Hydra base’s main entrance and waited as Friday ran calculations on the guards’ movements.

Loki brushed himself off. “So, what’s the plan? I know you always have something up your sleeve.”

“Honestly, no idea,” Tony said. “It’s kind of weird not to have any orders.”

Not that Tony had ever really followed orders.

“I’m surprised,” Loki said. “You seem like the type to improvise.”

“If only I still had my Iron Legion,” Tony said wistfully. “Or all my old prototype suits. That was an amazing distraction when Rhodey and I needed the help. Because what grabs the enemy’s attention better than an army of Iron Men?”

“That can be arranged,” Loki purred.

His form shifted and Tony found himself staring into his own face.

“Oh. That’s….that’s a little unsettling.”

“Would you prefer I take the form of your Iron Patriot?”

Tony shuddered. “Hell no. An army of Rhodies is like my biggest nightmare. Don’t get me wrong. I love the man to death. But he’s such a buzzkill.”

“I see.” Loki flipped down the faceplate. “Is this tolerable?”

“Oh yeah, I can work with that.”

It would be just like working with Jarvis controlling one of his suits, or Rhodey, before the upgrades. As long as Tony didn’t have to see his own face staring back at him, he could pretend it was anyone else.

With a simple flick of his hand, Loki created a row of gleaming Iron Man suits and they all rose into the air in sync.

God, what a beautiful sight.

“I’ll follow your lead,” Loki said. “You know what these suits are capable of.”

Well, if Loki wanted the full Iron Man experience, Tony would give it to him. He flew at the base at full speed, delighting in the guards’ startled shouts as they swooped down on them. Together, they picked off all the guards along the top of the wall.

Loki was surprisingly good at keeping up with Tony. He and his clones perfectly mimicked almost every single move Tony made. They flew just as fast, aimed their repulsors just as well, and exploded things just as hard. Plus, Loki still had full access to his magic so a few solid stone walls just blinked out of existence and the Iron Man army went right through the base, blowing up anything that looked important and shooting down anyone who attempted to flee.

All too soon, the fun came to an end with Natasha’s voice crackling over the comms. “Good work, boys. We got ‘em.”

Loki waved a hand and the army of clones disappeared. Tony was almost sad to see them go.

“Meet up back at Shield for debriefing in thirty,” Steve said. Over the private comm line, he asked, “You okay, Tony?”

“Yup,” Tony said as he swooped back down to retrieve Loki. “Everything’s fine, Cap. Be there in twenty.”

Thor was waiting for them on the landing strip when they returned. The team hadn’t seen much of Thor recently because he was busy helping his people set up their new settlement off the coast of Norway.

“Thor!” Tony said delightedly. “Hey, buddy. How’s New Asgard coming along?”

“Tensions remain high between my people and the locals,” Thor said with a sad shake of his head. “There are still some who believe we are alien invaders come to steal their land.”

“Seriously? Nobody had to move if they didn’t want to leave. And Shield more than compensated anyone who did want to leave. So nobody stole anything.”

“Alas, logic does not work well on people who seem entirely governed by emotion. They had made up their minds to be unhappy and nothing anyone can say will sway them.”

“Damn,” Tony said. “Well, if you need anything, the whole team is willing to help.”

“It is much appreciated,” Thor said. “I will call if I have need of you. But for now, we are managing. Come, brother, Valkyrie wants your input on the new training center.”

“But I have to be here for the debriefing,” Loki complained.

“It’s okay,” Tony said. “I’ll take care of the report. You worry about your city.”

“Thank you, my friend. We shall keep in touch.”

“So undignified,” Loki muttered. But he allowed Thor to wrap an arm around him and the two Asgardians took off into the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Fury had been very pleased with the success of the operation. Tony had been pleased too. It had probably been the most fun he had ever had on a mission, and he’d be happy to pair up with Loki on every mission. But that would be too predictable. So Fury changed up who got paired up with Tony on the distraction team. Sometimes it was Steve, sometimes it was Thor, when he was free. 

As for Loki, when he wasn’t on the distraction team, he was on the stealth team. It was important for his image to take part in as many Avengers missions as possible. The more the public saw him doing good, the more they would accept his presence on earth. Tony was willing to admit that Loki was just as good at stealth as he was at being destructive. He could make himself look like anybody or anything, which was a super valuable skill for sneaking into places. So he wasn’t going to be too upset that the rest of the team got Loki from time to time.

After several missions together, Tony had almost forgotten Loki was supposed to be dangerous. He kept Tony entertained through mission briefings by making silly faces across the table and bantered with Tony during their missions.

Still, Tony surprised even himself when he invited Loki to pick the movie for the post-mission movie night.

Loki blinked. “You’re inviting me to your team night?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Tony said. “You’re part of the team, aren’t you?”

It would be the first time Loki would set foot in his Tower since he had used it as an intergalactic portal. That was a pretty big deal. Avengers tower was full of the team’s tech, everyone’s living quarters, and was a safe space where everyone could relax and unwind. Inviting Loki into the space would put everyone on high alert.

But Tony was confident in Friday’s security systems. He could take Loki down the elevator to the theater room, and he wouldn’t be able to get into any other part of the Tower.

As the movie started, Loki perched on the edge of the couch, his eyes darting around the room instead of focusing on the movie. It took a good half hour for him to actually settle in to watch the movie.

But each time they had movie night, Loki was a little more relaxed. Within three evenings, Loki was actually sitting next to Tony on the couch. 

If anyone had told Tony a year ago that he would one day watch Spaceballs with Loki sitting next to him, snickering into a bowl of popcorn, he would have thought they were crazy. But here they were.

Thor began to join them on more and more missions as Valkyrie took on a bigger leadership role in New Asgard. With all the missions going so well, Tony had a lot more free time to work on equipment for the team and fun projects of his own.

He was deep into work on the quinjet’s engine when Friday announced that Thor and Loki were here to see him.

“Oh, good.” Tony wiped the grease off his hands and headed up to the front door. Since Thor was spending more time back at the Tower, he had been meaning on adding a training program for him in the simulation room. He just needed Thor to do a baseline exercise so he could set it up. And maybe Loki would want to train with him.

Tony had a million mental calculations and plans floating around his head, but everything went quiet as he opened the door.

Both Thor and Loki were bruised and bloody and Thor had an arm around Loki for support.

“What the hell happened?” Tony demanded. “Was there an Avengers call I missed?”

“I wish,” Loki muttered.

“Unfortunately, my brother was attacked by civilians,” Thor said.

“Seriously? I thought things were getting better.”

“As did I. But last night, my brother’s home was attacked by an angry mob while he was asleep. If I had not called down the storms, it would have surely burned to the ground and Loki would have perished within.”

Tony’s jaw dropped. “Do they want a supervillain attack to happen? Because that’s how you get those. Jesus Christ. Loki’s already a supervillain so it doesn’t count, but this could become an origin story for anybody else and I wouldn't blame them one bit for the inevitable revenge rampage through the town.”

Loki blinked. “You wouldn’t?”

“I mean, as an Avenger, I’d realistically have to step in and put a stop to it, but I’d feel bad for the guy. Seriously, burning people alive...not cool.”

Thor nodded. “I have tried to reason with them, but they are dead-set against Loki remaining in New Asgard. They have talked about returning to attempt to burn down the rest of the town.”

“My presence puts the entire settlement at risk,” Loki said wearily. “So once I’ve recovered from my injuries, I will be in search of a new home.”

“That’s bullshit,” Tony said. “You can stay here.”

“Thank you, my friend.” Thor beamed and clapped Loki on the shoulder. “Did I not tell you it would be so, brother? Stark is a good man. He would not turn away an injured companion.”

“No, I mean you can stay here permanently. This is Avengers Tower. And technically, you’re an Avenger now.”

Loki frowned. “I wouldn’t presume to-”

“Oh, please. I’m a billionaire, baby. One extra mouth to feed isn’t going to break the bank. Obviously, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but, my Tower is pretty much the safest place on earth. Any asshole who wants to get to you, will have to go through my security system, Friday, the entire Avengers team, and our SHIELD allies.”

Loki cocked his head to one side. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

“Right, you need time to think it over. The Tower is obviously the coolest and most technologically advanced place to live, but hey, maybe that’s not your thing. Maybe you want to explore the world and then set up your own tiny fishing village in the middle of nowhere. Sounds kind of boring, but no judgment here. Well, anyway, let’s get you set up somewhere for the night and you can work the rest out later. Friday, how do we look? Any open rooms?”

“Several open rooms, boss. The majority are on floor seven, but there are also rooms on floor-”

“No, floor seven works perfect. Come on, Loki. Let’s get you settled in.”

Loki exchanged a look with Thor.

Thor nodded. “I will notify our people that you are safe and then return with any of your things you want for the night.”

The two of them had a quietly whispered conversation and then Thor departed.

Loki refused Tony’s help to get in the elevator, but he was obviously limping pretty badly so Tony decided to put Loki in the very first open room.

“This is technically Thor’s floor, but I figure since you’re brothers, you’re used to sharing.”

“Unfortunately,” Loki said.

“It’s just a temporary arrangement,” Tony assured him. “I can clear you out a floor of your own if you decide to stay. Move the bowling alley to Clint’s floor since he’s really the only one who uses it. And the gym on Steve’s floor, maybe. Or Natasha’s. Or I could-”

Loki waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t trouble yourself. As long as I have a room to rest and recover, everything else is insignificant.” He flopped down on the bed and shut his eyes. “This bed is the only thing I need right now.”

“Thor’s room is at the end of the hall and I’m just two floors up if you need anything. Friday knows how to reach me.”

Loki nodded. “Goodnight, Stark.” 

Tony shut the door behind him and headed straight back down to the workshop. “Friday, remind me to write a sternly worded letter to the Norwegian government.”

“Yes, boss.”

“And see if there’s any traffic cameras or security systems we can hack in New Asgard. I want to make sure these assholes go to jail.”

Something about the defeat in Loki’s face really made Tony’s blood boil. Loki was an Avenger now and nobody hurt his team and got away with it.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki spent an entire week holed up in his bedroom, only allowing Thor in to see him. Tony was pretty concerned, but Thor assured him Loki was healing well.

“My brother is a very proud man. He does not like to show weakness. Likely he will not make an appearance until he is back to full health.”

Since Thor was making daily visits to check in on Loki, Tony decided to take Thor’s word for it. 

The morning of the eighth day, Tony was in the den, setting up a chess game to play with Bruce later that afternoon.

There was a high-pitched shriek from the kitchen and then Clint came rushing into the den. “We’ve been compromised. Loki broke into the Tower,” he hissed. 

“Oh no, Loki’s just crashing here for a few days while he heals up.”

In hindsight, Tony probably should have notified the rest of the team.

“Are you serious? We’re just going to let him wander around the Tower? What if he steals our gear or tries to murder us in our sleep?”

“Friday’s keeping an eye on him. Right, Friday?”

“More than one, boss.”

“That’s my girl. See, nothing to worry about.”

Clint crossed his arms over his chest and gave Tony a pointed look.

“What? You don’t really think Loki’s still plotting world domination, do you? There’s playing the long game and then there’s really playing the long game. It’s been months, dude. If he wanted to do something, he would have done it by now.”

“He’s just sitting there in the dark. If that’s not suspicious, I don’t know what is. He’s probably just waiting for someone to walk in so he can stab them.”

“Oh, give me a break, Clint. He’s just messing with you. Have Thor take him out somewhere. He’s probably just bored after being cooped up in the Tower all week.”

“Thor’s back in New Asgard. You need to get him out of the kitchen, man. It’s fucking creepy.”

Tony sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll talk to him.”

He turned on the light in the kitchen and found that Loki was indeed just sitting there at the counter, staring off into the distance with a cup of coffee clutched in his hands. It was maybe a little creepy, but Loki looked more contemplative than stabby.

“So, come to a decision yet? I could give you the grand tour of the place so you really know what you’re getting into.”

Loki glanced up from his cup. “If you insist.”

Tony started out with all the common floors. “Everyone has space for all their hobbies. If you decide to stay, I’ll clear you out a space for whatever you’re into.”

After all, it was only fair that since Tony had a big workshop space, Steve could have his art studio, Clint his archery range, and everyone else got the chance to set up their space for whatever current training regimen they had going.

And once he got to thinking about that, Tony just had to take Loki down for a tour of the workshop.

Tony had a great time showing Loki all of his projects and he completely lost track of time until Natasha stormed down to the workshop to drag them both to dinner.

“I can’t believe you, Tony. You were supposed to help with the cooking,” Natasha hissed. “But since you were hiding out down here, Steve did it all himself.”

Tony grimaced. “My bad.”

“I wasn’t looking for an apology. Just come to dinner now.”

Tony winced as she slammed the workshop door on the way out.

Loki raised an eyebrow. “She seems rather cross.”

“Long story. You’ll figure it out soon enough.” Tony hurriedly started packing away his tools. “We better get up there quickly before she gets angrier. Because let me tell you, the Hulk has nothing on Nat when she’s in a mood.”

Realistically, the fear of Natasha was the only thing that could get him out of the lab for dinner. When he got involved in his projects, he could go without eating all day. Skipping a meal or two meant nothing. But the team had made it their mission to make sure he took better care of himself and ate regularly.

Clint, Bruce, Natasha, and Sam were already sitting at the table when Tony showed up with Loki in tow. Tony immediately claimed the seat next to Bruce and nudged him in the side. “So, what’d he make this time? Another one of his experimental meals?”

“Stew,” Steve said proudly, lugging the large pot in from the kitchen. “Just like my mother used to make.” He continued as he ladled a generous portion into everyone’s bowls. 

Tony squinted into his bowl to try to decipher the ingredients; the potatoes and corn were pretty obvious, and what looked like either chicken or turkey, but the little chunks of green vegetables could be anything. Zucchini maybe? Steve was weirdly fond of zucchini.

“Is this her recipe?” Loki speared a limp stalk of asparagus and eyed it critically.

“There’s not really a recipe. We didn’t have a lot of food in those days so whatever was left at the end of the week went into the stew pot. But even though times were hard, I loved spending the day in the kitchen with my mother, managing to make good, filling meals out of what little we had. It’s a shame Bucky’s off on a mission today. I’m sure this would bring back a lot of happy memories for him.”

“Yeah, so weird that that last-minute mission just popped up,” Tony said. Bucky was always suspiciously absent when it was Steve’s night to cook.

“Ah, dinner.” Thor dropped into his chair with a thump. “There you are, brother. I haven’t seen you all day. I was starting to worry you had gotten lost.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “I was busy. Stark gave me a tour of his workshop this afternoon.”

“That is very good, brother.” Thor beamed at Tony. “It took almost a month before most of us were allowed into his workspace.”

Tony ducked his head in embarrassment. “Yeah, well, I’m getting better at the whole playing well with others thing,” he muttered.

He had been so used to working alone and it hadn’t been easy to open up to the team. But now all the Avengers and a few trusted SHIELD agents had limited access to the lab.

“It’s obvious why you wouldn’t be invited, brother,” Loki said with a disdainful sniff. “If I were Stark, I wouldn’t allow you within breathing distance of any of his creations. Do you recall the time you tried to pilot that Dark Elven craft and nearly destroyed all of Asgard in the process?”

Thor groaned. “You are never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“No, I’m not. Because you clearly can’t be trusted around technology.”

“Boys,” Natasha said mildly. “Don’t fight at the dinner table. You’ll get blood in your stew.”

Tony picked at his stew. Sadly, blood might actually improve the flavor.

“The workshop wasn’t at all like I expected,” Loki said. “I expected a lot more chaos.”

“I’m not working on anything big at the moment,” Tony said with a smile. “Come back then and it’ll all be a huge mess.”

“I might just take you up on that offer. I don’t think you’ve shown me even a fraction of your tools. Your collection of screwdrivers is truly the largest I’ve ever seen.”

“We all have our hobbies,” Tony said modestly. “I’m sure your dagger collection is just as impressive.”

“It is indeed. Would you like to see it?”

“Uh, sure. Maybe after dinner.”

With a wave of his hand, Loki’s bowl was completely empty. “Come to my room when you’re ready,” he said. He picked up his bowl and headed into the kitchen.

Thor leaned across the table. “I think my brother fancies you,” he said in a loud whisper. “He threatens to stab me whenever I ask to see his dagger collection.”

“You don’t just ask to see someone’s dagger collection,” Natasha said with a shake of her head. “You have to wait for them to make the offer.”

Thor stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Ah. I see.”

“But you may have a point,” Natasha said. She gave Tony an appraising look. “He hasn’t offered to show me his collection yet.”

“Whoa, really?”

If anyone could appreciate a dagger collection, it would be Natasha.

Tony rose from his seat. “Well, then, I’ll just have to report back on how it went for anybody who’s interested.”

“But you haven’t finished your stew,” Steve protested.

Tony flashed him a nervous smile. “This is Loki we’re talking about. Don’t want to keep him waiting. I, uh, I know how you feel about wasting food but, this isn’t a hill I want to die on.”

“Never fear. I’ll finish your portion,” Thor said. “I would never let such a delicious meal go to waste.”

Tony gratefully pushed his bowl across the table.

Thor shoveled stew into his mouth.“If he attempts to stab you, take it as a sign of brotherly affection,” he said around his mouthful. “And if he doesn’t, well, you’re a very lucky man.”

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Tony went up to the Asgardian floor and knocked on Loki’s door. The door swung open onto a surprisingly fully-furnished room. There were tall bookshelves spanning all four walls, and in the middle of the room an ornately carved coffee table sat beside a high backed green and gold reading chair. It looked like Loki could use a second room as a library.

“Damn. You certainly moved in fast.”

“The benefits of magic,” Loki said with a smile. He snapped his fingers and a forest green cloth settled over the coffee table.”Shall we begin?”

Tony settled into the chair and watched as Loki pulled blade after blade out of midair and spread them out over the table.

Loki really did have a pretty extensive collection. They ranged from simple pocket knives and practical hunting knives that Bucky and Natasha might use, to wickedly curved blades with jeweled hilts that would be more at home in a medieval period piece.

The fanciest one had an etched blade and a golden hilt inlaid with rubies. It looked extremely sharp, so Tony didn’t dare touch the etched patterns, but he appreciated the craftsmanship before he slid it back into its sheath.

“That one’s a gift for you,” Loki said.

Tony’s head snapped up. “What? I can’t take this.”

Loki frowned. “Do you not like it? I was led to believe you were fond of the combination of red and gold.”

“It is a winning combination,” Tony said with a chuckle. “But, uh, I don’t really use daggers, as you might have noticed. The armor has all the weapons I could possibly use.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “A weapon this fine isn’t meant for use. It’s purely ceremonial, an art piece if you will.”

Right, of course. Most people considered paintings and sculpture art pieces. Only Loki would collect dangerous objects just for their artistic value.

“I do have a rare art collection,” Tony said. “It could be a nice addition. But, just so we’re clear, you won’t be offended if I put it in a display case and never take it to battle?”

“Not at all. But I wouldn’t mind seeing you don it for special occasions.” Loki’s eyes flicked to Tony’s waist. “It would make an excellent accessory for a tailored suit.”

“Why are you giving me your fancy dagger anyway? You’re not dying, are you?”

When Tony had thought he was dying from palladium poisoning, he had tried to give up or sell off most of his material possessions.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Loki said scornfully. “Those were minor injuries. I’ve made a full recovery.”

Loki didn’t look visibly hurt anymore and he had spent several hours touring around the Tower with Tony without any sign of a limp. But Tony had done a very good job hiding his own illness so that didn’t mean anything.

“Consider it a token of my gratitude,” Loki said. With a flourish, the rest of the knives disappeared. “You’ve invited me into your Tower and shown me the best of your hospitality.”

“Wait, so does this mean you’ve decided to stay?”

Loki’s mouth quirked into a smile. “You’ve convinced me.”

“Yes! In that case, I accept.” Tony carefully attached the dagger to his belt loop. “I’ll let you get settled in for the night. If you need anything, Friday knows how to reach me.”

Because he hadn’t helped Steve make dinner, Tony knew he would be expected to do the dishes as punishment - and the team definitely used a lot of dishes in a night, but Tony just rolled up his sleeves and accepted his fate.

He was halfway through the dishes when Thor made his appearance. “I was afraid I’d find you here. The Captain and I both agreed it was more important for you to tend to your stab wounds before you clean up. The dishes can wait.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “He didn’t stab me. He actually gave me one of his daggers.”

Thor glanced down at Tony’s waist and his eyes went wide. “He gave you that one?”

“Oh god, don’t tell me it’s cursed.” Tony groaned. “I should have known it was too good to be true.”

“Not at all. That particular dagger was given to Loki by my late, dear mother. He wouldn’t gift it to just anyone. You are a lucky man indeed, Stark.” He clapped Tony on the shoulder. “Congratulations, my friend.”

Tony had a feeling that there was a lot more to it than that, but if Thor wasn’t concerned, he wasn’t going to worry about it.


	4. Chapter 4

After another week of searching, Tony finally felt like he was close to catching the assholes that tried to kill Loki. It had taken a lot of long days down in the lab poring over the surveillance footage, but he was pretty sure he had identified six of the eighteen men responsible. And of course, all of them had records. How could they be upset about Loki living close by when all of them were bigger problems for the community?

He reached for his cup of coffee and absently took a sip.

Wait, how was it still hot? Hadn’t he been working for hours already? It should have long gone cold.

“Friday, how long have I been working on this stuff?”

“Approximately six hours, boss.”

He squinted at the cup. It was almost completely full, too, and he could have sworn he took a couple drinks already.

“Have Steve or Bruce been down here?”

The two of them tended to mother hen and fuss over Tony if he looked tired, but it would be really embarrassing to know he had gotten so involved in his work that he hadn’t noticed them come in.

“Nobody has been down here today, boss.”

Tony gingerly set the coffee cup back on the bench. Something fishy was going on. Either he was going crazy or someone was messing with his coffee. He wasn’t taking another drink until he got to the bottom of things. It was probably time he took a break anyway. By his calculations, it was almost dinner time.

He was surprised to see Clint, Natasha, and Steve standing in the hall just outside the kitchen and the door firmly closed. The kitchen had never been closed off before so some serious shit had to be going down.

“Okay, what’s going on here? Did something he happen?” He pointed at Steve. “Isn’t it your turn to cook today? Don’t tell me you caught something on fire again.”

It was only a matter of time, he supposed. Steve was a complete disaster in the kitchen. Give the man an alien vehicle and he’d figure out how to drive it. Give him even the most technologically advanced weapon in the universe and he’d figure out how to shoot it. But give him any kitchen gadget more advanced than an oven and it all went to hell.

“Loki kicked me out of the kitchen,” Steve said sourly. “He said I was a terrible cook. Can you believe that?”

“Uh, that’s because you are.”

Steve’s eyebrows went up.

Tony sighed. “Steve. You boil the shit out of everything or you burn it until it's unrecognizable.”

“But that just means everything’s well-cooked and safe to eat.” He shot Natasha an imploring look.

She shrugged. “Sorry, Steve. He has a point.”

“And you season everything like spices are still rationed,” Clint piped up.

“So nobody likes my cooking. Is that what you’re telling me? You’ve all just pretended to enjoy it?”

“I’m sorry, Steve. You seem like you really like to cook and nobody wanted to discourage you. You get this real kicked puppy look when you’re disappointed.”

“I’m more disappointed to find out you’ve all been lying to me,” Steve said with a huff. “Haven’t we talked about keeping secrets from each other?”

“So, if you’re banned from the kitchen, who’s making dinner?” Tony surveyed the gathered group. “Bruce? Or is Thor back from New Asgard already?”

“Loki’s cooking,” Clint said. “And he wants to be all mysterious about it so he kicked us all out of the kitchen until he’s done.”

“Ooh,” Tony said. “A culinary adventure. I’m down to see what he whips up.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re all excited about more Asgardian cuisine. We all agreed it was terrible.”

Tony shuddered. He was never going to forget the giant platter of snakes, eels, scorpions, and hissing cockroaches Thor had wrapped in bacon. Or the sardine, oxtail, and rutabaga soup. Or the weird sludge he had made from beef broth, mead, lard and horrifying enough, some of Steve's protein powder. Tony realized Asgard was a warrior culture and liked a protein-rich diet, but he could feel his arteries clogging just looking at his food. Even Natasha, the most adventurous eater among them, had thrown up after eating Thor's cooking. It just wasn't meant for mere mortals, Tony supposed.

“Well, Loki thinks your cooking is crap so he’s obviously got working taste buds,” Clint muttered. "I think I'll take my chances."

Loki threw open the kitchen doors with a dramatic flourish. "Dinner is served!" He announced.

"Holy shit," Tony said.

He was pretty convinced he was hallucinating now. Because Loki was wearing an apron, a bright green apron with the words “This is where the magic happens” emblazoned on it in golden writing.

"So, what'd you make?" Clint asked cautiously.

"Spaghetti and meatballs."

“Yes!” Tony said delightedly. “Italian’s my favorite.”

“So I’ve heard,” Loki said with a smirk.

Tony eyed the plate Loki set down in front of him. It smelled good and everything looked totally normal. Unless he made his meatballs out of badger and goat or something ridiculous like that, it was bound to be better than either Steve or Thor’s cooking.

"Nice!" Clint said as he shoveled pasta in his mouth.. "Classic earth food. You know, we thought you were going to make something Asgardian."

Loki looked uncertain. “Should I have?”

“No!” everyone said immediately.

Loki blinked. "I didn't expect this much hostility."

Steve cleared his throat. “No offense to your culture, but our human digestive systems just can’t handle it."

Loki sighed. "If you're basing your opinion on Thor, you are very misinformed about our cuisine."

"So you don't cook everything with as much fat as possible?”

“Absolutely not. My brother is a garbage disposal,” Loki said scornfully. “He’ll eat just about anything, although he much prefers meat. It’s a wonder he never gains weight with as much bacon as he eats.”

“Well, we do lead a very active lifestyle,” Natasha said with a shrug.

“This spaghetti is bomb. Hands up if you want Loki to cook from here on out,” Clint said.

“That’s not fair to him,” Steve said immediately. “We share the responsibility as a team.”

“I don’t mind cooking from time to time,” Loki said. “I feel it is my duty to share proper Asgardian cuisine with you because Thor has utterly failed to be a good representation of our people.”

“Great,” Steve said. “So we continue as usual, just adding Loki to the cooking rotation.”

“Not so fast. Hands up if you want Steve permanently banned from the kitchen.”

Loki’s hand was the first in the air, followed by the rest of the table.

Steve sighed. “I guess I’m outmatched.”

Tony patted Steve’s shoulder. “Don’t feel too bad, buddy. You just need a little help. Now that I don’t have to worry about hurting your feelings, I can sign you up for cooking classes for Christmas.”

“Oh, please have Gordon Ramsay come over to teach Steve,” Clnt begged. “I would pay good money to see that.”

“Gordon’s not really as mean as he comes across on TV. You know that right?”

“I know, I know. But Steve deserves the best of the best. You know, one of the world famous chefs out there. Oh! We could get him on that Worst Cooks in America show. I bet the network would love that.”

“You watch way too much Food Network,” Natasha said with a shake of her head.

Bruce burst into the kitchen, looking rumpled and harried. “I’m sorry I’m late. I had a time-sensitive experiment running and-”

“Just sit,” Natasha said. “Loki cooked for us tonight.”

“Oh?” Bruce glanced between all of them. “Is it…?”

“It’s good,” Natasha assured him.

Bruce slowly sank down into his chair and took a careful bite. “Oh wow, it is.”

“Why is that so surprising to you all? I really must have a word with my brother if he’s ruined food for you so thoroughly.”

“It’s not that,” Bruce said hastily. “It’s just, spaghetti isn’t an Asgardian dish. I’m really impressed you can cook something so well you’ve never even eaten before.”

“Oh, I’ve had spaghetti before,” Loki said breezily. “Clint brought me some once.”

“I did? Oh wait, yeah. I remember now. When I was under his mind control whammy, he sent me out to get food one time and I picked some stuff up from Olive Garden.”

Natasha froze mid-bite and Bruce cringed. “I’m sorry for bringing that up.”

“It’s no big deal,” Clint said dismissively. “That whole mess is all in the past. Loki’s a new man now.”

“Are you kidding me?” Tony hissed. “Just last week you were freaking out and screaming like a girl because you thought he was going to murder you in the kitchen.”

“Because you didn’t tell me you invited him in! I thought he’d broken into the Tower, which is really hard to do. And if he was that determined to get in, he had to be up to no good.”

“I’m sure Loki’s really thrilled to hear how fragile your trust is.”

“Not anymore. We had a good long talk a few days ago and cleared the air. We’re all good now. And you would know that if you hadn’t spent the whole week holed up in the lab.”

“I’ve been busy,” Tony said defensively. “Lots of work to do.”

“Boss, Miss Potts is on the line.”

Tony groaned. “Tell her to call back later. I’m eating dinner.”

“She insists, boss.”

Tony shoved a meatball into his mouth and gestured towards the ceiling. “Take a message,” he said around his mouthful.

“Miss Potts would like to remind you that you’ve been promising the board a new prototype for the last few weeks and she has seen no results so far.”

“Busted,” Clint said gleefully.

“Oh come on. I had more important things to do.”

“Sounds like you need to start working on that prototype this evening,” Steve said. “We don’t want Miss Potts showing up here looking for you.”

“Ugh, fine.” Tony picked up his plate and dropped it off in the sink. “Thanks for the dinner, Lokes. I’ll be down in the lab if anyone needs me. And try not to need me. I don’t want Pepper to kill me because I can’t get this done.”

Truth be told, in all the excitement, he had completely forgotten about the prototype he was supposed to make and he hadn’t even started working on it. It was going to take several hours to work out a concept.

He could really use the caffeine, but he didn’t trust himself with any coffee until he figured out just what the hell had happened earlier.

His mug was washed out and sitting in the drainer after Friday had run a full scan for any suspicious devices on it and the coffee had been poured into a flask for chemical analysis. Hopefully she would find something soon because working long hours without coffee was harder than he had thought.

By 3 a.m, Tony was really struggling. If he couldn’t have caffeine, he needed some sugar at least. Something to keep him awake.

He headed up to the kitchen and started browsing through the containers of cookies and granola bars left out on the counter. “I think I might want…”

“Coffee?”

“Jesus Christ!” Tony jerked back and put his hands up defensively.

Loki stared at him over the top of his coffee cup. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Oh, it’s you.” Tony sucked in a breath. “You can’t sneak up on me like that. I have a heart condition, you know.”

“My apologies.”

“What the hell are you doing up at this hour anyway?”

Knowing Loki, he was probably going to tell him some bullshit about Asgardians not having to sleep because they were gods and clearly superior and blah blah blah. But Tony knew better. Thor had fallen asleep during the team’s movie nights multiple times and he snored louder than a collapsing building.

Loki raised an eyebrow. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Tony huffed. “I’ve got a lot of work to do still so I’m just here for the sugar rush.”

“For you.” Loki held out the mug. “You look like you could use the caffeine.”

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t like when people hand me things.”

Loki pulled his hand back and the coffee cup floated in midair.

Well, Tony couldn’t argue with that.

Tony wrapped both hands around the mug and eyed the dark liquid inside suspiciously. It looked like black coffee, but there was no way to be sure. “You know what, I’m going to have to pass.”

“You still doubt my mastery of earth cuisine? Even my idiot brother knows how to make decent coffee,” Loki said with a huff. “The coffee maker isn’t that difficult to figure out.”

Well, a taste couldn’t hurt, right? Tony took a tiny sip and nodded. “Yeah, okay. You can make coffee.”

“Good,” Loki said with a smile.

“You know, you never said what you were doing up.”

Loki looked away. “I find myself unable to sleep.”

“Shit,” Tony said. “Is it the bed? Or maybe it’s Thor. You can still hear that god-awful snoring can’t you?”

Loki held up a hand. “The room is just fine and the bed is perfectly comfortable. Perhaps even too comfortable.” His mouth twisted into a wry smile. “It’s been several long years since I enjoyed the luxuries afforded to a prince of Asgard. I’ve become accustomed to small, secret hideaways and cramped quarters shared with my minions. Having my own bedchamber brings up a lot of old memories. I’ve spent most of the night reminiscing and thinking about how it could have all gone differently.”

“Those nights are hard,” Tony said. He knew all too well what it was like for his past mistakes to keep him up at night.

“While I’m glad for your company, I’m a little surprised you’ve ventured from your lab. I was sure my charm would keep you caffeinated for the entire day.”

“Wait, that was you? Holy shit, man. You can’t do that. Jesus, there’s no way I can drink this now.” Tony put the mug down on the counter and pushed it towards the sink.

Loki frowned. “What happened to all that talk about trusting one another?”

“Look, I know you’re not going to poison me or anything, but I don’t drink anything if I don’t know what’s in it. Maybe you’re not one of them anymore, but there’s plenty of people trying to kill me still and this sort of thing freaks me the hell out.”

“There’s nothing in your coffee. I just put a simple enchantment on the cup you took down to the lab this morning to ensure it never runs out and never grows cold.”

Tony took a deep breath. “So, there’s nothing on this mug then? Just the other one?”

“Not at the moment, no. But I could enchant this one as well, if you’d like.”

“Er, no. No, thank you.” Tony clutched the mug tightly to his chest.

Loki’s shoulders slumped.

Tony sighed, “Okay, look. I’ve been in your shoes. You want to try doing some good to make up for all the bad you’ve done. And you feel like you need to do it secretly because you’re so messed up that you don’t deserve any of the praise or credit. But trust me, you can’t do this kind of thing in secret. We’re all paranoid people with lots of enemies and when weird shit starts happening, we’re all going to assume we’re under attack. It’s why I don’t upgrade anybody’s tech without running it by them first.”

“I understand,” Loki said. “No more magical enhancements without your prior knowledge.”

Tony nodded and took a sip from his mug. God, he had missed coffee. Thank god it hadn’t been ruined for him forever.

“It does make it rather difficult to be romantic,” Loki said with a sigh.

Tony spit out his coffee. “Romantic?”

Loki raised Tony’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. “You deserve a proper Asgardian courtship. You’ll forgive me for saying so, but the customs of your people aren’t nearly enough to convey the depth of my devotion. I shall procure trinkets and tokens of my affection and perform feats of daring just for you. You need do nothing but enjoy my attentions. You’ve already done so much for me by granting me a new home. I promise to be worthy of your trust.”

Tony was used to flattery, but the sincerity in Loki’s eyes was something new. He was almost uncomfortable with all the praise.“If you say so.”

Loki smiled brightly. “I do say so. Ah, my mother would be so proud to see me now. She always hoped I would put my gifts to good use and now I finally have an opportunity. I won’t keep you from your work any longer. I, too, have things to prepare now.” He swept out of the room, mumbling something under his breath about spoons.

Tony blinked a few times and stared down at his coffee cup. Maybe he could chalk the entire crazy day up to sleep deprivation.


	5. Chapter 5

As much as Tony would have liked to actually be the one swooping in and hauling off the bastards that attacked Loki in New Asgard, he had to accept that sadly, that particular fantasy just wasn’t going to come true.

There had been three Avengers missions in as many days, all involving mountains of paperwork since there had been injuries and property damage involved. And of course, Pepper was still breathing down his neck about his prototype.

So with a lot of reluctance, he handed over all the information he had to the Norwegian government, promising that he would check back in later to make sure they weren’t brushing it all off as low priority.

Turned out he shouldn’t have worried. 

The very next morning, while he was browsing the news feeds over a bowl of cereal, Tony saw the announcement that there had been several arrests for the attempted murder. And since they were to be the first men charged under the new Hero Act, pretty much all the major news outlets were covering the arrests.

The Hero Act had taken the place of the Sokovian Accords. It focused more on repairing property damage and protecting people from getting hurt instead of punishing heroes for doing their jobs to keep everyone safe. It set funds aside for any civilians caught in the crossfire of a battle, allowed the state to declare a state of emergency for any cities damaged by attacks, and developed a tighter link between the Avengers team and local law enforcement. And as they were now linked to law enforcement, the penalties for attacking a hero were the same as attacking an officer of the law.

Of course, there were still restrictions on the heroes. Every hero was supposed to be part of a team, whether it be through SHIELD, the Avengers, the X-Men, the Defenders, or the Fantastic Four. The point was that everyone had to be accountable to someone and nobody was supposed to go off being a lone wolf vigilante. There was also a lot more paperwork involved if there was any property damage, injuries, or fatalities. The hero team would be required to account for their actions and explain why they had done what they had done. But no one was getting kicked off the team unless they had a history of dangerous actions with no good reason.

Most people, including Steve, agreed that it was an imperfect bill, but a compromise that could be signed off on, since it brought the team back together and allowed Bucky and Loki to join.

General Ross was the most vocal opponent to the new bill, but with Bruce’s help, Tony dug up a lot of dirt on him, which was really something Tony should have thought about earlier. Dude was an asshole. He had no business trying to convince people heroes were a danger to the general public when he had planned to lure Bruce into a highly populated city with the hopes that the Hulk would destroy everything. What kind of monster endangered an entire city to prove the Hulk was dangerous? The hypocrisy was astounding.

A man Tony assumed was the chief of police or a politician stepped up to the microphone to begin the press conference. After the usual dumb introductions thanking everyone for being there, he began with, “Thanks to Mr. Stark and his technology, we have identified the men responsible for the attack on New Asgard and they are now in custody.”

Tony grimaced. He hadn’t wanted media attention.

There was a joyous shout from the other room and Thor burst in. “I have heard the news. Excellent work, my friend. My people will sleep soundly knowing our city is once again safe.” Thor pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. “I am proud to call you my brother in arms. It will be truly an honor to one day call you my brother-in-law.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Thor frowned. “Did Loki not announce his intention to court you?”

“Wait, he actually meant that? I thought he was messing with me.”

“My brother may be deceitful and mischievous, but even he would not falsely promise courtship. It’s one of our most sacred traditions.”

“Loki doesn’t strike me as the traditional type.”

“That may have been so at a time, yes. But with the loss of our great city, we are all clinging to what remains of our culture.”

“But why me? Wouldn’t he rather settle down with some nice Asgardian girl and have babies to carry on your line?”

“I would not ask that of him,” Thor said. “He would be miserable with a woman.”

“Well, you’d never know with the way he flirts with all the female SHIELD agents.”

Thor’s mouth thinned into a tight line. “My brother uses his charm and looks to get what he wants. There’s no emotional connection whatsoever. I don’t think he even likes most of those women. He just sees flirting as a way to get information or favors. I was led to believe you are much the same way.”

Tony winced. “I mean, I guess you could look at it that way.”

“Ah, but perhaps you only desire women and you are merely being friendly with my brother to keep him as an ally. In that case, now that you know how serious his feelings for you truly are, I would ask you to do the honorable thing and return his dagger and any other gifts he may have given you.”

“Him being a man is not an issue,” Tony said. “I’m pansexual. Man, woman, all of the above, none of the above. Give me a consenting humanoid being of legal age and I could be interested. It’s always just been easier to date women. I got less crap from my dad, the press didn’t hound me for gossip, and I didn’t have to worry about getting the crap beaten out of me for hitting on a straight guy.”

“I see. But if you’re unable to handle my brother’s courtship, I’d let him know now before it becomes more serious.”

"Why don't you tell me what I'm getting myself into before you decide I can’t handle it? I don’t even have a clue what courtship even means. We don’t do that kind of thing here on earth. It’s not the 1800s anymore.”

“It’s not that complicated. To begin with, a warrior must prove his commitment by gifting his intended with an important family heirloom.”

Tony’s eyes widened. “The dagger.”

Thor nodded. “It is the last gift our mother gave to him before her passing so it is very precious to him. If he were to call off the courtship, he would forfeit it to you so he would not have given it to you if he did not have hope that you two would one day wed.”

“Well, that’s not so weird. Wedding rings basically started to ensure the dude wasn’t going to hit it and quit it. You wouldn’t spend that kind of money on someone unless you actually intended to marry them. Oh, I should probably start wearing the thing around, shouldn’t I? Since it’s basically an Asgardian engagement ring.”

“I’m sure that would please my brother greatly. But he will understand that there are some places weapons aren’t permitted.”

“Yeah, you’re right. This courtship thing isn’t that complicated at all.”

“There is more.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “There’s more?”

“He must prove himself in battle.”

“Check.”

Loki had been involved in so many Avengers battles now that it was hard to remember a time when he wasn’t part of the team.

“He must prove he can be a good provider by killing and preparing a bilgesnipe.”

“I hate to break it to you, but we don’t have those things on earth.”

“I’m sure he’ll find some way to improvise. The creature itself is not the most important part. He just needs to prove that he is capable of slaughtering a fearsome beast so that his family will never go hungry.”

Not that Tony would ever be in danger of going hungry. But if Loki had to cook some special Asgardian dish for him, he wasn’t going to complain. He was really looking forward to Asgardian cuisine made the right way.

“He must be able to fashion an item of furniture or other goods for the home.”

Again, Tony wasn’t exactly hurting for money. The Tower was already well-decorated. But sure, if Loki really wanted to follow their antiquated rituals, he wasn’t going to stop him. And it might be kind of amusing watching Loki put a chair or a table together. Could be kind of hot too if he got all sweaty and shirtless from the hard work.

“Those are all the ways one of our warriors proves himself to the community. But he must prove himself to your family.”

Tony winced. Well, that was certainly going to throw a wrench in the whole process. He maybe had a great aunt or a distant cousin running around somewhere, but no living relatives he knew personally.

“I understand that you parents have long since passed,” Thor said with a gentle hand on Tony’s shoulder. “But family is more than blood. I’m sure the entire team would be proud to consider you family.”

“I guess we’re kind of like a family. A big dysfunctional family.”

“I am no stranger to dysfunctional families myself. But mine and Loki’s relationship has greatly improved these days.”

Tony nodded. Since he had been the most injured, Clint had chosen Tarzan for the last movie night. And to his great horror, Loki got a little misty-eyed and Thor broke down in huge sobs, clinging to Loki and apologizing for being a terrible brother when they were growing up.

“Well, alright. Sounds like Loki’s got a handle on this. Already got a few of the rituals done, it sounds like. So maybe another week before he finishes up the rest of it?”

“Oh no, Asgardian courtships are quite long, sometimes years long affairs. There is much my brother would do for you before the courtship ends.”

Tony’s jaw dropped. “There’s seriously still more?”

Asgardians went through an awful lot of effort to get married, it seemed like. Tony didn’t see how all the effort could be worth it.

“Oh yes. These are merely the formal steps one must take to make his courtship publicly known. But he must also prove himself directly to the person he courts. Because a man may be the mightiest warrior in all the realms and well-respected by his entire community, but if there be not love between them, the marriage is doomed to fail.”

“Jesus. What a complicated set-up you guys have.”

Thor shrugged. “It has worked for our people for more than a millennia. The effort required prevents rash decisions and ensures that no one marries a deadbeat. But I’m sure that now that we are living on earth, some of my people will adopt your earth dating customs, as did I with my Jane, when we were together.” He fell silent and his eyes went a little misty.

Tony gingerly patted Thor’s back. “Real sorry it didn’t work out for you, big guy.”

Thor pulled him into a crushing embrace. “I wish the two of you a lifetime of happiness together and I’ll do everything in my power to aid my brother in his courtship. Trust me, my friend. It will all work out in the end.”


	6. Chapter 6

It was actually a huge relief knowing Loki was trying to court him. It explained why he was suddenly everywhere, showing up in the lab with a fresh cup of coffee right when Tony needed it, being present in the kitchen on nights when Tony had nightmares and had come up for air, sitting near him for every team dinner and debriefing, and presenting Tony with small items in Iron Man’s colors.

If he hadn't known better, he would have assumed Loki was up to something suspicious. Courtship rituals was by far the best explanation for the whole thing.

And wasn’t that a thought?

Tony had never thought he’d be the type to settle down. The idea of long-term commitment usually made him break out in hives. But he was surprisingly cool about marrying Loki one day. It freaked him out a little that he wasn’t more freaked out about it.

But Tony being Tony, he couldn’t just wait around and let things happen. He was far too impatient, far too used to getting things done himself. So as much as he appreciated that Loki wanted to uphold cultural traditions, he just couldn’t handle it. He finally pulled Thor aside.

“Okay, look, not that I’m not kind of touched by all the stuff Loki’s doing for me, but it’s just too much.I might be the five-time winner of People’s Sexiest Man Alive and come in a shiny gold package, but I’m no trophy husband. I can do way more than just sit here looking pretty while Loki does all the work. Seriously, the court-ee has to contribute something to this courtship, right?”

Thor stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Traditionally, the bride’s family arranges housing for the new couple, which you’ve already done.”

“Are you kidding me right now? I’m not a bride. Doesn’t Asgardian tradition make allowances for gay- ” Tony’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, I totally initiated the whole thing by letting him move into the Tower.”

“Doubtful,” Thor said. “The couple is usually married before they move into their new home together. It’s not usually the first step in courtship. But because the situation is a little unusual, I suppose he could have taken it as a sign you reciprocated his interest.”

“Reciprocated?”

“Oh yes. My brother has long had his eye on you. Were you not aware?”

“No. I thought all the flirting was just casual flirting. I mean, you said he flirts for fun sometimes, right?” 

Thor nodded sagely. “Looking back, I believe my brother developed an interest in you from your very first meeting.”

“Seriously? Back when he was trying to kill me and take over the whole world?”

Thor shrugged. “He has always been attracted to spirit and bravery, someone han share an adventure and some cunning wordplay with. And I’m sure he has always considered you attractive, even knowing you were on opposite sides of the battle. It’s quite romantic. And how lucky that you two are now on the same side. There is nothing quite like the thrill of fighting side by side with a loved one.”

Loki stepped into the room, dressed in full armor. “Ah, there you are. The Captain wishes to work on some training strategy so your presence is required in the simulator room.”

Tony groaned. “Tell him I’ll be there in a few minutes. I need to get to the bottom of this first.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “The bottom of what?”

“Brother, Tony wants to contribute to the courtship proceedings. He is the soul of generosity.”

“He certainly is” Loki said. He kissed the back of Tony’s hand. “I don’t deserve you, darling.”

Tony felt his face heat. “Okay, you two can stop trying to butter me up now.”

“It’s the truth, dearest.”

Tony wrinkled his nose. “And all the pet names are weird.”

“You don’t like them?”

“I don’t know yet. It’s just weird. I’ve never had someone give me cutesy nicknames before.”

“A tremendous oversight. I have a lot to make up for, it seems.”

“No, no, no,” Tony said. “Don’t you dare try to be more romantic. You’re already doing way too much.”

“I enjoy spoiling you, darling. You’re always so busy doing things for the team, for your company, for society at large. You don’t have nearly enough time to spend on yourself. So just let someone else take care of you for a change, okay? Do it for me.”

“Oh, alright,” Tony huffed.

But once they were married, there was nothing stopping Tony from buying Loki anything and everything he needed to make his room in the Tower even better.

“The Captain has been trying to contact you,” Friday said, and then the intercom crackled overhead.

“Hey,” Steve said with a slightly irritated edge to his voice. “I sent Loki in to get you guys, not get sucked into whatever you’re doing.”

“Whoops.” Tony gave Loki a sheepish look. “What was it he wanted again?”

“Sparring practice, I believe.”

Tony groaned. “I hate sparring.”

“Why? It’s a socially acceptable way to take out your frustration and hurt anyone who has been annoying you.”

“And also an excuse to put your hands on someone, eh, brother?” Thor playfully nudged Loki in the side.

Loki grinned. “There is that as well.”

“If you wanted to touch me, you just had to say the word,” Tony said with an eyebrow waggle.

He felt a lot more at ease with the flirting. This was familiar territory for him.

Thor clapped a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Come. We must complete the Captain’s training regimen and then you two will be free to do some sparring of your own.”

“And by sparring, you mean sex, right?” 

Thor frowned. “By sparring, I mean sparring.”

Tony sighed. Where was the fun in that? Stupid Asgardian war culture. 

Steve was standing in the middle of the training room when they arrived. “About time you three showed up,” he said. “We’ve got several sparring matches to run through and the sooner you start, the sooner we’ll get done.”

Tony groaned loudly. “Several? There goes the rest of the day.”

Steve gave him a disapproving look. “We had injuries in our last battle so we have to work on that. You guys know the drill. So, Buck, you’re going to be with Thor. Nat, with Loki. Tony, you’re with Clint. Bruce and I are going to run through strategies.”

Tony blinked. He was usually paired up with Bucky, Steve, or Thor because they were pretty much the only ones who could actually damage his suit.

“This seems really unfair to Clint,” Tony said. “Sorry in advance, buddy.” He lifted an arm to call up the suit.

“You’re fighting without the armor today.”

“What? That’s not fair,” Tony protested. “Clint’s had all his training at Shield.”

“Then he’ll be able to analyze every move you make and let me know how you’re doing.”

“I don’t think I’m well-matched either,” Loki said. “Natasha is a cunning woman, but there’s no way she could overpower-”

Natasha grabbed Loki by the horned helmet and wrestled him to the floor in a single move.

Loki laid on his back for a moment, looking stunned.“What just happened?”

Steve sighed. “You could use a lot of hand to hand training as well. Maybe I should have put you and Tony together.”

“No way,” Bucky said. “They spend too much time working together as it is. They need a little variety in their lives.”

“That’s because Tony’s easier to work with than the rest of you.” Loki’s eyes narrowed and he glared at Natasha. “So be it, woman. Let me grab one of my daggers and we’ll try this again.”

“No daggers,” Steve said. “This is hand to hand combat.”

“Why do I have any need for that?” Loki scoffed. “I have my magic.”

“Hand to hand combat means fighting hand to hand. No weapons, no magic. We need to be able to defend ourselves in case the worst case scenario happens and we find ourselves without our best weapons.”

“That’s so unfair,” Tony huffed. “Natasha and Bucky are the only ones who fight without weapons all the time. They’ll win every single sparring match.”

“It’s not about winning. It’s about learning. Now square up. We’ve got work to do, team.”


	7. Chapter 7

Tony never wanted to go through sparring training again.

After Clint had gotten through with him, Natasha had thrown him to the mat a few times and he was still feeling sore days later. He had no idea what Steve was trying to prove by letting everyone beat up on him for the day. He already knew he was ten thousand times stronger in the armor. And no amount of “training” would ever change that.

He could really use some strong painkillers, a long soak in the tub, and maybe some whiskey to take the edge off. But he was really trying to cut back on the drinking so he’d probably stick with a good, strong cup of coffee.

It really was a shame he hadn’t set up a room for mission aftercare. The team would probably really appreciate having a TENS unit, a big-ass tub with all the bath crystals and essential oils Bruce was fond of, some kind of massage table maybe for sore muscles. He should get to work on that right after lunch.

It was just a little after ten, which would be a very early lunch, but Tony already had ideas circling around in his head and he was pretty hungry. He had a feeling he might have forgotten to eat breakfast again.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t alone in the kitchen.

Loki was sitting at the counter, wearing a thick leather butcher’s apron and sharpening a pile of knives.

In any other circumstances, it might have been a scary sight, but Tony was thrilled to see Loki back in the kitchen again. The last few times Loki had prepared Asgardian cuisine, Tony had loved every bite. The roasted rabbit and honeyed root vegetables had tasted amazing, but so had the mead-infused chicken stew. Tony might have neglected to inform Bucky right away that Steve was no longer in the cooking rotation just so there’d be more for everyone else.

“Starting dinner already? What are you making us tonight? I’m sure it’ll be delicious, whatever it is.”

“Haven’t decided yet,” Loki said curtly. “I’ve been busy.”

“Sharpening all your knives? You really don’t need all of them to cook, do you? Wait, what’s that on your arm? Did you cut yourself?”

Loki pulled away from him. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. It looks like a pretty nasty scratch there. What happened?”

“Nothing I can’t handle. Get whatever you’re going to eat and leave, please. I have a lot of work to do.” He gestured towards the walk-in freezer.

Tony gasped. “Why the hell is there a crocodile in the kitchen?”

“It’s an alligator.”

“Oh yeah, because that’s so much better. Why is there an alligator in my kitchen?”

“No need to be alarmed. It’s dead. I should think that would be obvious.”

Tony took another step into the kitchen and his eyes widened. “And is that a boar? Jesus Christ. Please tell me I’m not going to get a call from a zoo later. If you need to work out some aggression, there are better ways.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I slaughtered these beasts myself in the wild. Thor is my witness.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Tony peered around the kitchen. “I’m not going to find any other animals in here, am I? No moose or bears?”

“You really want me to do more hunting?” Loki growled.

Tony took a step back and put his hands up defensively. He wasn’t about to argue with a man holding a filet knife. “I’m just going to grab an apple and get out of your hair then.”

In the hallway, he bumped into Thor. “So, what’s with Loki? He seems to be in a hell of a mood today. Is he not happy with Avengers life? I know your people are all warriors, but you’ve always seemed happy here. Unless, maybe you’re not and you’ve just been repressing-”

Thor held up a hand. “Have you ever seen a bilgesnipe?”

“No. We don’t have those here on earth.”

“I had a baby one as a pet when I was a child. Called it Wiglaf. It was a very energetic creature that accompanied me on all of my adventures. Well, at least until it bit off Yrsa’s right hand and had to be killed.”

“I’m sorry, it did what?”

“I think I still have the painting Mother commissioned of the day I received him as a gift from a cousin.” Thor disappeared upstairs and returned, lugging a portrait of a small boy proudly holding a hideous creature almost as big as he was. It had scaly green skin, sharp claws, two rows of serrated teeth, large tusks on the side of its mouth, and a pair of antlers that looked almost sharper than its claws.

“Ohh. That explains everything.”

Tony rushed back into the kitchen and pressed a kiss to Loki’s cheek. “You’re a great hunter and I’m looking forward to eating what you make for me.”

Loki’s mouth curved into a faint smile. “Out, Tony. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Right, yes. I won’t get in your way again. Really looking forward to it.”

Tony had eaten a lot of unusual food over his lifetime, but he had never eaten boar or alligator. He could only imagine what Loki would make.

So it was a little bit of a disappointment when Loki carried a platter of whole salmon out of the kitchen.

“No boar or alligator tonight?”

“Boar?” Clint said excitedly. “I’ve never had boar, but I saw a recipe on-”

“This is an old family recipe,” Loki snapped. “Not something you can get off the Food Network.”

“I’m just saying I’m excited to try it

“I’m not making it for you. It’s for Tony.”

“Oh come on. He’s not going to eat an entire boar by himself. He can share a little with the rest of us.”

“Thor will eat the rest.”

“Thank you, brother. I am very honored.”

“But he’ll eat anything. He won’t appreciate it like we would.”

Natasha kicked him under the table. “Be grateful Loki’s cooking you anything. He could decide not to cook at all and leave us with Steve and Thor’s cooking.”

“Next week will be our day of feasting,” Loki said. “The alligator is portioned and prepared, but the boar will be cooked whole so it will take several days to cook.”

“Damn,” Clint said with a low whistle. “Stark sure better be worth all this.”

“He is,” Loki said decisively.


	8. Chapter 8

When Loki mentioned a feast, Tony had assumed he was referring only to the huge amount of meat he’d be cooking. But apparently he was in for the whole Asgardian experience. 

At noon, Loki pulled him and Thor into the kitchen and shut the doors to the rest of the team.

The long dining table was already piled high with more dishes than Tony could count. There was a whole wild boar on a giant platter in the middle of the table, a grilled alligator tail, mushroom soup, alligator stew, and roasted turnips.

There was no way the three of them could eat all of it, even with Thor’s enormous appetite. But Tony did his best, making sure to take a little bit of every dish Loki had made.The boar tasted a lot like pork, but with a richer, gamier flavor. The alligator had a mild, fishy flavor and was actually not nearly as tough as Tony had expected. It was all very good and Tony wished he could have been able to eat more of it.

Thor had also brought along a big cask of mead that he poured into golden goblets that Loki had spelled with his never run out enchantment, so Tony lost track of just how much he drank. The mead was a lot stronger than he was used to, but he was still sure he had drunk several goblets full. He was drunk enough for it anyway. Not that Thor and Loki were in much better shape. They were laughing as they drunkenly swapped stories about their childhood.

And man, what stories they were. Loki and Thor had had so many adventures when they were younger. Tony was almost jealous he hadn’t grown up in Asgard with them.

“But you are as good as family now,” Thor proclaimed. He slapped Tony on the back with enough force to send him faceplanting into his soup.

Loki burst into giggles. “My brother doesn’t know his own strength. He does this all the time.”

Somewhere along the way, they all ended up in the living room. Loki strummed a lyre and sang songs of his ancestors’ exploits. Tony had never heard Loki sing before and his singing voice was actually pretty sexy.

The last thing he remembered was making out with Loki on the couch before everything went black.

He woke to a flash of light.

Tony pried his eyes open and squinted up at Natasha. “Wha..what’s wrong? Is there an alert?

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Natasha assured him. “Well, other than Steve making you two breakfast.”

“Haven’t I suffered enough?” Tony sat up so fast the room started to spin. He groaned and put a hand to his forehead. “Shit. Friday, do something.”

“I’ve assumed control of the toaster, boss.”

“Thank god.” Tony fell back against the couch and squeezed his eyes shut. Toast was probably the only thing his stomach could handle at the moment.

Loki shifted and wrapped his arms around Tony. “Go back to sleep, darling. It’s too early to be up.”

Natasha chuckled. “I didn’t get it before, but I see it now.”

Tony peered at her with one eye. “See what?”

“Never mind that now.” She patted Tony’s shoulder. “You should listen to your boyfriend and get some more sleep.”

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you,” Tony said apologetically. “I haven’t passed out drunk in a long time.”

“I don’t mind. You’re very warm. Easily the best sleep companion I’ve ever had.”

“So are you.” Tony snuggled into Loki’s chest and let himself sink back into sleep.

When he woke up again, he felt only slightly less like death. His eyes felt crusty, everything ached, and there was a terrible taste in his mouth. But it was nothing coffee couldn’t cure. He stumbled into the kitchen and prepared himself an extra strong cup of coffee.

“Good morning, my friend!” Thor boomed. He clapped Tony on the back. “I’m impressed to see you up after such a night of revelry. Even an Asgardian would be hard-pressed to keep up with your drinking.”

Tony winced. “Can you keep it down a little, big guy?”

Natasha snickered. “You look like you’ve been hit by a bus.”

“And I feel worse than I look,” Tony groused. He sank into his seat with a heavy groan. “That’s the problem with being a responsible adult. I haven’t been drinking in so long I’ve forgotten what a bitch hangovers are.”

“I could do something about that,” Loki said hesitantly.

“You’ve got a charm for hangovers?”

Loki nodded. “Would you like it?”

“God yes.” Tony shoved his coffee cup in Loki’s direction. “Magic me.”

Loki’s hands curled around the cup. The mug glowed bright yellow for a moment and then it faded out. Loki slid the mug back. “There. That should help.”

Tony sniffed it. It still smelled like coffee. He took a careful sip. It tasted like coffee. But with each sip, he felt better and better.

“You’re a miracle worker,” he said with a sigh of relief. “I wouldn't get anything done all day without you.”

“It’s probably the first charm I learned,” Loki said with a shrug. “When your culture values drunken excess, you learn ways to manage the hangovers fairly quickly.”

Loki was modest about his magic, but there was no way Tony could have functioned without Loki’s magical hangover cure. But with his headache gone and his energy back, Tony was able to put in a good few hours down in the lab before lunch.

After lunch, Tony found Loki perched on the edge of the couch in the den, scribbling something in a notebook. “No, no that doesn’t work,” Loki muttered to himself as he furiously erased his writing.

Tony dropped down into the seat across from him. “What are you writing?”

Loki snatched up the paper and clutched it to his chest. “It’s not finished yet.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I’m writing you an epic poem.”

Without his permission, a squeal of delight came out of Tony’s mouth.

Loki raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting, but I think I like it even better.”

Tony clapped a hand over his mouth. “I did not just make that noise.”

Loki chuckled. “Oh, but you did.”

“Friday, erase all evidence of this right now,” Tony demanded. “It never happened.”

Loki chuckled. “No need to be embarrassed, darling. I’m charmed by your enthusiasm.”

Tony huffed. “You just caught me off guard. Nobody’s written me poetry before. People don’t do that kind of thing anymore.”

Loki shook his head sadly. “I suppose I should be lucky your former beaus were such uncultured swine. It’ll make it easier for you to recognize real romantic overtures.”

“Hey, Pepper’s included in that list,” Tony said indignantly. “And she is full of culture and class.”

“And did she ever do anything of the sort for you?”

“Well, no,” Tony admitted. “I was the one who usually did the big, romantic gestures. Which is why I really don’t like the idea of you doing all the work to court me.”

“If you’ve done all the work to woo your previous paramours, then it is high time you sit back and let yourself be cared for.”

“You’re really determined about this, aren’t you?”

“Very much so, yes. I’ve learned from the best.”


	9. Chapter 9

A week later, Loki surprised him while he was making a sandwich. “I’ve brought you a gift.” He held out a wooden chest with the arc reactor symbol carved into the lid.

Tony eagerly stuffed the sandwich in his mouth and curled his hands around the box. “Is it another dagger?” he asked.

It looked like Loki had given up on the poem, which was just as well. Tony had no idea what he’d do with a poem. A dagger was far more practical. Another thing he never thought he'd day.

"Open it and find out."

Tony carefully lifted the lid. Inside was a set of wooden utensils with intricately carved handles. They were all different scenes from Tony and Loki’s history: Iron Man bouncing a repulsor blast off Cap’s shield, Natasha taking Loki to the ground in training, Loki pointing the spear at Tony’s chest, and Thor holding a snake.

“Wow,” Tony said, reverently stroking a spoon. “I didn’t know you could do this kind of detail work in such a small piece of wood.”

“I have some skill with a blade,” Loki said, proudly twirling one of his daggers in hand.

“So, these are decorative things, right? I’d be way too worried to actually eat with them. I’d be afraid I’d break the things and I’m not too sure how to wash wooden utensils anyway.”

Loki’s smile faded. “I should have used metal.”

“Absolutely not. You can’t do this kind of work with metal. So, where would you like me to put them? Somewhere on the kitchen walls or down in the lab?”

“Wherever your heart desires. They’re yours to do with as you wish.”

“Hmn, maybe I’ll spread them out. Put a little here and there so I can look at them no matter where I am.”

Tony left a spoon in the kitchen and headed down to the lab with one of the forks. Admittedly, once he was down in the lab, he got a little distracted and started working on the propulsion system. He glanced up to check on the results screen and was surprised to see Loki standing beside the workbench.

“Shit, is it dinner time already? Friday, why didn’t you warn me?”

“It’s only 3 p.m, boss.”

“Oh. So, what are you doing down here, other than for my sterling companionship, obviously?

“I’ve finished my poem if you’d care to read it.

“Oh wow, really?” Tony looked down at his grease-stained hands and grimaced. “Much as I would love to read it immediately, I’m a little busy at the moment. Why don’t you set it down on the bench there and I’ll look at it when I’m done?”

Loki shifted. “I could perhaps read it to you if you’d like.”

“Hell yes. Everything sounds better in that sexy voice of yours.”

Loki cleared his throat. “Every hero finds themself in a moment of crisis. When the battle is at its worst, when all hope seems lost. Mortal men give up in a moment of weakness, but heroes prevail. And the hero of our tale is a man who has found his faith tested again and again and refused to back down.

Tony sucked in a sharp breath. He had expected generic love poetry about how hot he was, odes to the color of his eyes or some shit. But this was deeply, deeply personal.

Somehow, Loki went through Tony’s whole life story as a superhero, from the very first Iron Man suit he had built in the cave all the way until he had patched things up with Steve and welcomed the Asgardians to earth.

“And so the man devoted his life to fixing the world,” Loki concluded. “For he too was once broken and lost, desperately searching for something to give his life meaning. And the only thing that could fix his broken spirit was through fixing others’.”

“Holy shit,” Tony said. He was actually a little teary. Nobody had ever made his work sound so brave and noble.

Loki embraced him. “You really are worth everything to me. And I will continue to prove it to you every day that I live.”

And because Loki was as good as his word, he spent the next few months lavishing Tony with all sorts of cute, sappy little things. He wrote more poetry, he learned how to cook all of Tony’s favorite foods, he accompanied Tony to charity galas and enthused about him to the reporters.

Tony basked in all the attention. Loki had been right. He had spent so much time making sure everyone else was taken care of and hadn’t spent nearly enough time letting himself relax. It felt damn good to be loved so thoroughly.

Still, Tony was itching for the wedding to take place. Thor did say that the courtship process was usually long and drawn out, but Loki had completed all of the formal steps already, so he was basically just stalling at this point.

“Your brother is really stubborn,” Tony complained to Thor. “The courtship could be over by now. He’s just dragging it out to extra romantic. And he doesn’t need to do that. He has nothing to make up for.”

“He has yet to prove himself to your family.”

“But the whole team loves Loki. He’s proven himself fifty thousand times over by now.”

“But there are still two members of your family he has yet to meet.”

Tony’s eyes widened. “Oh shit. Loki has to ask Pepper and Rhodey permission to marry me?”

This was not going to go well. Tony could feel it.

“I wouldn’t call it permission. In most cases it is a mere formality. Because our courtship rituals are so public, the parents are usually aware when someone is interested in marrying their son or daughter and they will make their opinions known very early in the process. And if they are agreeable to the match, they will likely not present any obstacles to the happy couple. But there are families who are very well known for their skills in certain areas, be it farming or weapons crafting and they will want their future son-in-law to prove he can fit into the family.”

“And if they’re not agreeable?”

Thor hefted his hammer. “He will not go alone.”

So you’re really going to threaten Pepper and Rhodey if they don’t agree to give Loki a chance.”

Thor nodded. “Most likely. But if he decides he would rather have Valkyrie accompany him, I will not be hurt. She is a formidable warrior and would no doubt he happy to fight at his side. After some initial attempts to kill one another, they have become friendly.”

Tony shook his head. “You guys have the strangest way of making friends. But seriously, you guys, I don’t want you beating up my best friends.”

It was a wonder the Asgardians all got along so well if this was their strategy for dealing with difficult family. He expected a lot more blood feuds. 

“It should not come to that. They seem to be exceedingly reasonable people.”


	10. Chapter 10

Tony decided to see Pepper first. She was in her office doing paperwork and insisted she was far too busy for Tony’s nonsense at the moment, but Tony knew that was all a bluff. Pepper was never too busy for him.

“So, I’ll take your congratulations now,” Tony said, perching on the edge of Pepper’s desk. “The world’s most eligible bachelor is finally off the market. Loki and I are going to get married. It’s great, isn’t it?”

“No, you can’t marry Loki,” Pepper said without looking up from her paperwork.

Tony’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?”

Loki shifted uncomfortably.

“Miss Potts,” Thor said. “I ask you to please reconsider.”

“No,” Pepper said. She flipped over another page. “I’m not dealing with the fallout when you two break up.”

Tony swallowed. “You...you really don’t think we’d be able to make a marriage work.” That hurt to hear.

Pepper finally looked up from her work. “Tony, I know you’re only marrying Loki so he can get a green card and stay here in New York with the rest of the team.”

“A green card? He’s been living with us for more than a year now! What the hell, Pepper? Haven’t you been keeping up with the news?”

“They don’t discuss your living arrangements in the news and in case you didn’t notice, I’m a little busy running this company. Your company, might I add.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t give you any right to be a dick to my fiance.”

She squinted at them. “So, you’re serious about this.”

“As a heart attack, Pep.”

“Then I don’t know why you’re coming to me about this. You do whatever you want anyway.”

“It’s important for Loki.” Tony put his arm around Loki’s shoulder. “So what do you say, Pep?

She shook her head. “I don’t know what to say other than good luck. I hope Loki knows what he’s in for.”

“He’s in for the best marriage of his life,” Tony said indignantly. “I’ll be an amazing husband.”

“Good,” Pepper said with a smile. “I’m glad to see you’re committed. Now get out of my office. I have a lot of work to do and if you two take off for a honeymoon, I need to have everything ready before then.”

Over Tony’s great protests, Pepper actually summoned security and had them removed from her office. It was his company. She had no right to toss him out of the building. If it wasn’t so much work to file paperwork, he’d have to write her a reprimand. But whatever, one down, one to go.

After the disaster with Pepper, Tony really wasn’t looking forward to talking to Rhodey. So he decided to cheat a little and just texted Rhodey a quick message that he was marrying Loki. He figured if Rhodey didn’t respond, it was as good as saying he had no objections.

But of course, with Tony’s luck, his phone rang immediately.

“Are you kidding me right now?” Rhodey screeched into the phone.

Tony winced. “Hey, Rhodey.”

“What’s this I’m hearing about you getting married? You never even told me you were dating.”

“Uh, it’s complicated. We did it the Asgardian way.”

“I’m still upset about this. I thought we were cool, Tones. You’re supposed to tell me these things first. When’s the wedding? You better still have me down as your best man.”

“Wait, so, you’re not mad that I’m marrying Loki?”

“Why would I be mad? I’m happy for you, man. I’ve seen all the news footage. You two work really well together. I can definitely see you two together.”

Tony’s shoulders slumped with relief. “Thanks, Rhodey. That means a lot.”

“So, is he there with you right now? Can I talk to him?”

Tony eyed Loki. “You want to talk to Rhodey a bit?”

“Of course.” Loki reached for the phone and listened intently, breaking into a wide smile. “Yes. Yes, of course. I’ll be sure to tell him.” Loki ended the call and chuckled. “He says if I break your heart, he’ll hunt me down and make the events in New Asgard look like a Christmas pageant.”

Tony snorted. “That’s my Rhodey. So, do we still have to meet up with him or is this good enough?”

“I think it should be sufficient,” Thor said. “He approves of your union and that is all that really matters. “

“Yes!” Tony said delightedly. “The wedding is a go.”


	11. Chapter 11

They had planned two separate weddings, one in New Asgard and one in New York. The Asgardian wedding festivities included a weeklong celebration of feasting and drinking. Loki had thankfully promised Tony his miracle hangover cure because that was the only way he was surviving the whole thing.

Thor spent a good month in New Asgard getting everything ready for the wedding and he finally returned the night before the wedding full of good cheer. "All the preparations have been made. There will be much to eat and drink and our best warriors have agreed to stand guard that no one may ruin this joyous occasion."  
“Thanks, big guy. I’m sure nobody will mess with New Asgard now, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”

“There is just one final thing to be done.” Thor produced a glittering golden chalice. “Our mother presided over most weddings in Asgard. By tradition, she prepared this brew to be drunk on the eve before your wedding. It will illuminate your soul and bring clarity to the depth of your love.”

“No idea what you just said, but I’ll be happy to try your mother’s recipe. She sounded like an awesome lady.” Tony took a small sip. “Oh, this is good.” He squinted down into the cup. “But why is it yellow?”

“One of the ingredients is juice from the golden apples of our homeland. It gives everything a golden sheen.”

“Huh. It doesn’t taste like apple.”

“What does it taste like?” Loki asked in a shaky voice.

Tony squinted at him. “You don’t know? You’re the ones who make it.”

“It’s a magical brew. It has a different flavor for everyone.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” Tony took another sip. “It tastes a lot like one of the fancy chocolates I like, with maybe a hint of mint to it. It’s refreshing.”

“That is very good,” Loki said. “Quite fitting. It’s a representation of how your perceive me.”

“Really? So what do I taste like?”

“We’ll find out momentarily. Thor, why don’t you assist Tony in preparing the brew.”

Thor was practically wiggling with delight as he led Tony into the kitchen. “This is a joyous night, my friend. Tomorrow you shall be wed. All the people of New Asgard are greatly looking forward to witnessing your union. They have actually missed my brother’s presence these many months.”

“You sure Loki’s going to be happy in the Tower long-term? He’s not going to miss his people?”

“We are not his people. Not truly.”

“Oh, I know about the whole frost giant thing. Nat found the intel.”

“That’s not what I mean, but it may be part of it. Loki has never felt truly at home in Asgard. He has always felt like a stranger. But for the first time in his life, he feels like he belongs. Happiness is a good look on him. My dear mother would be so proud to see it.”

Tony cleared his throat. “Okay, enough mushy stuff. How do we make this thing?”

Thor pulled a huge book off the shelf. “One teaspoon of the juice of a golden apple to one vial of magical essence and either a drop of your blood or a hair from your head.”

Tony dutifully followed the recipe, dumping the vial of blue magical essence into another chalice, adding a few drops of juice, and then a single hair plucked from his head.

The liquid inside bubbled and frothed and then shone with golden light.

“Well, that’s pretty cool.”

Even though it was meant for Loki, Tony found himself overcome with curiosity. He dipped his pinky into the glass and took a small taste.

He grimaced. That didn't taste pleasant at all. The whole thing tasted pretty muddy and Tony couldn't discern individual flavors, but there was something ridiculously spicy and a hint of bitterness. Was this really the representation of his soul? Was he this dirty and tainted?

"Thor, buddy, I think I messed this up somehow."

"Nonsense," Thor said. "Mother made this recipe simple enough that I could make it and you know my brother doesn't put much stock in my cooking ability." He plucked the potion out of Tony's hand before he could protest. "Brother! It's ready."

Tony cringed as Loki took the first sip, but he was surprised as Loki broke out into a smile.

"This is very good. Something like good whiskey with a hint of cinnamon."

Tony chuckled. "So I taste like Fireball then? That's fitting for an alcoholic." 

"I'm not finished," Loki insisted. He took another sip. "There are faint traces or orange and cranberry as well."

"So a really good mixed drink then. Damn. This whole magic potion thing is pretty wild. I tried it myself and it tasted terrible to me.”

Loki’s eyes went sad. “If you drank your own potion, the only thing it reveals is your opinion of yourself.”

“Oh, so that’s how this thing works.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t judge. I too find myself wracked with guilt and self-doubt at times. We are well-matched it seems." Loki waved a hand over the goblet and it refilled with golden liquid. “Taste it now.”

Tony took a cautious sip and he brightened. “Oh. Now that’s some good stuff.”

"And one day I hope you can see yourself the way I see you. But we have the rest of our lives for that."


End file.
